Sun Chara's Recluse Millionaire, Reluctant Bride Publication Day

Recluse Millionaire, Reluctant Bride

Is his reluctant bride a business risk or a personal necessity?

Stan Rogers, recluse millionaire, must negotiate a risky deal with Stella Ryan, the exotic beauty from his past, to gain custody of his son. But how can he close the deal with her, the one and only woman who flips his switches and pegs him as the enemy?

Martial artist Stella knows she should steer clear of Stan, the man who had shattered her heart and could still destroy her. Four years have passed since their hostile business deal, and now, the American financier is proposing holy matrimony…but she’s the reluctant bride wondering, what’s he up to?

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Author Bio – Sun Chara, an Amazon top 100 bestseller, writes sexy, hip ‘n fun contemporary romance for Harper Impulse. JABBIC winner, Manhattan Millionaire's Cinderella launched her writing career, spinning the 'global millionaire’s series'. She makes her home in southern California, and has appeared on stage/film to rave reviews in How the Other Half Loves, General Hospital, and McGee and Me. With a Master’s Degree in Education, and membership in SAG/AFTRA and Romance Writers of America, she enjoys sipping designer Frappuccinos topped with whipped cream/sprinkles, and dancing on the beach…making everyday a celebration!

Sun loves to hear from her readers at:
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Recluse Millionaire, Reluctant Bride – Extract 4

Chapter 1

# # #

"You’re not a prisoner here, Ms. Ryan," he said, tone cool.  "You’re an invited guest with whom I wish to discuss business.”

          "Why didn't you call or e-mail or drop by my studio to discuss your... er...business?”

          “In a sense, I did.”

          “Stop talking in riddles.”

          He shrugged.

          And that had her hackles rising. 

"This charade is utter nonsense.”  She moved another few steps closer, the table a barrier between them.  “I don’t like being manhandled."

          The deep sound of his laughter ricocheted off the walls.  "Heard it was the other way around."  He saluted her with his drink.

          Stella shook her head, pointing her finger at him.  "Look here, I have   a business to run.  Right now, my students are at the dojo waiting for me.”

          Stan set the empty glass on the gleaming countertop and rubbed his palms together.  "Took care of it.”

          "I demand to be relea—” She gaped at him.  “What does that mean?" she

demanded.  "You know you could be arrested.”

          "My men—”

          “Thugs.”

          “—left a memo at your studio explaining your absence."

          "Disappearance."

He shuttered his eyes to blue slits, considering her veiled warning.  "Ms. Ryan, I’m offering you my hospitality as my guest.”

          “I’m not your guest.”  She tossed her head.  “And don’t need nor want anything from you.”

          He hiked a brow, and she swallowed a lump in her throat.  Of course, he had control of her core asset and—

          "You’re on a publicity tour…Tokyo, Toronto…family demands,” he

explained, his words saturated with meaning.  “You’d be returning soon.”

          “You dared to—” A tremor vibrated from her head to her toes, shivers

prancing on her spine.

          He shrugged.  "A risk worth taking." 

          Stella paled, their one and only meeting zooming to the forefront of her mind.

          "Something wrong, Ms. Ryan?"  Casually, he slid his hands in his pockets,

confident he’d cornered her.

Stella groped for the back of a chair, the wood smooth and hard beneath her fingertips.

Like the man—unbreakable.   

"Do you often take such risks?" she tested, her voice brittle. 

          "Occasion—"

"Why?"

          "High stakes."

          "How lofty are they this time?"  She tightened her grip on the chair, her heart pounding a warning.

          "Riskiest bet of my life," he admitted.

          She wouldn’t be bridled.  “Must be, to ditch your life of the rich and

famous for that of a recluse.”

He laughed, a dark, ominous sound.  “It is.”  A shadow swept across

his eyes, and a nerve pinched his jaw.  He shrugged and didn’t elaborate.

          Tenderness pierced through her frustration.  She must be mistaken, or nuts.  Nuts to feel anything but contempt for the ogre.  She shoved the pinch of feeling away.  She didn't care, couldn't care, refused to care. 

"I don't play cat and mouse games, Mr. R."

          "You do remember."

          The gray at his temples and his beard had thrown her at first.  His

electrifying blues and commanding tone, capped off with his baiting remarks, cued her a second time in as many hours, how well he knew the game of finance and how well he wielded the rules for his benefit.  Yes, she remembered him.  He was not a man she could easily forget or how ruthless he could be.

          "How do I fit into your scheme of things this time?" Stella asked, her voice crackling with ice.     

          "Predominantly."